At first, Rokita said he didn't think the nonpartisan commission should be sponsoring the event, saying such primary debates should be run by conservative Republicans.

But then he reversed himself, and on Tuesday, Rokita spokesman Nathan Brand released this statement: "Todd Rokita believes Hoosier conservatives deserve to know the truth so he will be participating in the liberal Indiana Debate Commission debate."

You could practically hear the sigh of relief, when Gerry Lanosga, president of the Indiana Debate Commission, released this statement later that day.

"Debate is a great option for Hoosier voters who may be undecided, and we're pleased that all candidates in this contested GOP primary are now 100 percent vested in this final debate before the May 8 primary," he said.

Whew! Glad that's out of the way.

The crowd cheers on New Albany's Romeo Langford, after he scored against Seymour in the Class 4A Sectional semifinals on March 2, 2018.(Photo: Scott Utterback/Courier Journal)

But wait a minute. There might still be a pothole awaiting them: Competition for attention from the public.

Not only will Langford be making his announcement on April 30 at his high school gym in New Albany, but he'll be doing so at 7 p.m. — the exact time when the debate between Rokita, U.S. Rep. Luke Messer and Jasper businessman Mike Braun kicks off.

This Indiana GOP Senate campaign is one of the most-watched races in recent times with three candidates who have spent a lot of money and don't seem to like each other. The GOP primary winner will challenge U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat targeted by Republican strategists almost as soon as he took office in 2012.

Even so, Langford has been the most-closely watched Indiana basketball prospect since Damon Bailey was tabbed the consensus National Player of the Year in 1990, before going on to play four years at Indiana University.

Organizers of the second Senate GOP debate dodged a similar sports-politics conflict on Sunday. That debate took place at 7 p.m., just after Game One of the playoff series between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers — a major upset — had ended.

But this is more problematic — for obvious reasons.

Does anyone care to guess which event may get the lion's share of attention in this basketball-crazy state?